Hard to Love
by StellarSophie
Summary: Daryl is a freshman in highschool struggling to find his way when he crosses paths with a kindhearted older girl, Carol. Despite having totally different lives, can they manage to grow closer? Or, perhaps they are more alike than they appear. Daryl x Carol, Caryl. Highschool AU, no zombie apocalypse. (Hiatus while I work on other fics!)
1. Chapter 1

**Name**: Hard to Love

**Pairing**: Daryl x Carol

**Warnings**: Language, abuse, sexual situations,

**Summary**: Daryl is a freshman in highschool struggling to find his way when he crosses paths with a kindhearted older girl, Carol. Despite having totally different lives, can they manage to grow closer? Or, perhaps they are more alike than they appear.

**AN**: Hello, welcome to my new fanfic. Just so you know, this chapter is more of an intro chapter. Daryl and Carol's personalities are also a bit different because they are so much younger in this fic than in the TV show. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

No one ever thought Daryl Dixon would succeed. He was a _Dixon_, and that name was most commonly associated with alcoholics, druggies, and high school dropouts. Daryl didn't want that for himself - he wanted to be somebody, be better than his family. All throughout his childhood, he filled his little head with dreams of becoming anything he wanted. He could be a doctor. Or, maybe an astronaut. Anything was possible. However, his big brother, quickly crushed those hopes with a hand to the back of Daryl's head. '_You ain't gonna be no doctor._' He'd said.

Daryl looked up to his big brother Merle. He wanted to be like him. Merle Dixon was born nearly six years before Daryl was, and as Daryl grew up, Merle took him under his wing. He looked after his little brother just like their daddy was _supposed_ to.

When Daryl was thirteen, he had a crush on a cute girl who in the neighborhood - Hailey. She was sweet, small and blonde with big brown eyes. In a foolish whim, he'd decided to ask her out to the winter dance. Merle told him not to, and laughed in Daryl's face when little Hailey rejected him. '_I ain't allowed to know a Dixon._' Hailey told him as a look of disgust grew upon her face, "_Ma says you're dirty folk._" And so, the next day, Daryl pretended that nothing was wrong and that he wasn't upset. Hailey, on the other hand, found three dead frogs in her locker. Merle had done it, but Daryl of course took the blame.

It soon became apparent that Daryl often received the consequences of Merle's actions.

Like when their daddy's cigarette stash was cleaned out empty, or when Merle didn't come home some nights and Daryl was the only one around to endure their daddy's drunken rages.

It was as if Daryl was the Dixon family's punching bag. Maybe it was because their Mamma loved him the most.

The year was 1986, and Daryl was now officially a highschool freshman. If Merle hadn't dropped out of school the moment he got the chance, he'd be the same age as the average college sophomore. '_Just wait until you're sixteen, brother._' Merle had said that morning with a laugh, '_Then you don't gotta worry about school no more. I'll get you out._'

In an act of selflessness, Merle had offered to drive Daryl to school that morning on his bike. "I'll see you later." Merle said with a smirk after Daryl had been dropped off.

School had been terrible. Everyone else looked so happy; reuniting with their friends, giving hugs. Not Daryl though. Daryl didn't have friends. No one said hi to him. No one asked how his summer was. Either they didn't care, or they weren't sure if they wanted to know. The only acknowledgment he'd received was from Hailey and her group. They looked at him like he wasn't human, like he was an animal. Just based on the trashy clothing Hailey was wearing, he wound up wondering how long it would take before she ended up pregnant.

To everyone, he was just a redneck freak of nature who's normal dinner consisted of wild squirrels.

To himself, he was just Daryl. He was a person. A person with his own hopes and dreams. A person who nobody really took the time to get to know.

When Merle had told him he'd see him later, Daryl assumed his big brother was going to pick him up from school. It was like a brotherly ritual: Merle driving Daryl to and from school on the first day.

But not today. Maybe high school was different, and the tradition was dead. Or, perhaps Merle was passed out drunk on the couch. Daryl didn't know. All Daryl knew right now was that it was raining and that his house was an hour's walk away.

He growled under his breath. Fuck Merle, fuck this school, and fuck going back home. He didn't want to deal with his brother and dad right now. No, today, he wanted to be by himself.

So, the young Dixon walked off into the parking lot, ignoring the heavy raindrops pelting down on his skin. He just wanted to get out, to leave. He was sick of this shit hole town.

But, as fate would have it, he only made it about three yards into the parking lot before someone called out to him.

"Hey!"

Daryl stopped for a moment, trying to decide if the voice was calling out for him. No, it couldn't be. Who would want to talk to him? He chose to ignore it and continued to walk. Only when he heard footsteps from behind him did he stop again to turn around. There was a girl behind him. She was pretty, with long wavy brown hair and striking blue eyes. "Uhmm.." He didn't know how to react.

She smiled at him. "Why are you walking outside in the rain?"

He scoffed, "What's it matter to you?" He noticed that she was holding a black umbrella over her shoulder.

"I don't know, I just thought I'd ask if you're okay." She looked to the side, as if she was avoiding his stare.

Daryl nervously replied, ""Nah, I'm fine...My house ain't no more than ten minutes away from here." He lied.

"Oh." She looked into his eyes and asked, "Do you want my umbrella then?"

Daryl blinked. He wasn't used to a female's kindness. He was used to girls like Hailey. "What? Your umbrella? But ain't you gonna need it?" He narrowed his eyes, a bit shocked.

The girl shook her head. "No, I'm getting a ride with my friend." She turned around for a second to make sure her ride was still there. It was. "Looks like you could make better use of it that me since you're walking and all..."

He paused for a moment, thinking it over. "Hm... a'right."

She passed the umbrella over to him and held out her hand. "My name is Carol Clarke."

Daryl smirked, holding out his own hand and grasping hers. "I'm Daryl..." He paused before saying his last name. "Daryl _Dixon_." He was expecting Carol to yank her umbrella back, or give him a dirty look. Most people did that when hearing his last name. But no. She seemed unphased by it.

"It's nice to meet you, Daryl Dixon. Can we meet here after school tomorrow? My Ma will wonder where her umbrella's gone." He laughed, motioning to the object shielding them from the rain.

He nodded slowly, "Sounds fine. Er, and nice to meet you too."

Carol's ride honked for her to hurry up. "See you tomorrow, bye!" She called out as she ran to her friends car. Daryl watched her go.

It had only been their first encounter, and Daryl had decided that Carol was either naturally friendly, new in town, or just plain stupid. Maybe all three.

Regardless, Daryl did feel happier than he had before. Perhaps it was the rare feeling of being cared about, or maybe it was the fact that a pretty girl actually talked to him.

_Someone_ had noticed him.

Someone had actually given up a small chunk of their day to help him out, to make sure he was alright despite the fact he wasn't asking for it.

And, that someone was named Carol.

* * *

**AN**: There are a few quick things I want to say-

This is my first Walking Dead fanfic. I'd love some reviews telling me how I did and how I can improve. I know it isn't perfect, so please, give me some constructive criticism. I was really nervous about posting it because I'm paranoid that it won't be any good.

As of now, chapter two hasn't been started. I'm waiting to get some feedback before I do. But, I have a few chapters planned out already.

For all you perverts out there, yes this story _will_ live up to its M rating.

A link to my Tumblr can be found on my profile. If you type /carylau after the link, you'll be taken to a page full of info on the fanfic.

Reviews are _loved_, they really keep me going.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN**: Wow... The feedback I got on chapter one was amazing. Thank you! Every Time I saw a new review I was overjoyed! As of this morning, there are 18 reviews for chapter one. That has _never _happened to me before.

I just realized how fluffy this story is. Trust me - it won't _always _be fluffy. Trust me on that.

Here's chapter two! Enjoy!

* * *

Carol was a very nice person, and everyone knew it. She knew it, her parents knew it, and her old friends knew it. Sometimes, she was scared people would use her. Sometimes, people _did _use her. She would come home, tears in her eyes, and cry onto her mother's shoulders. It happened often throughout her childhood. A girl would fool Carol into giving her a doll, or she'd let another student cheat off of her, only to take the blame.

She was sometimes called '_Caring Carol_' by her mother - a nickname she both appreciated and detested. it was a good quality: kindness. But, it often got the better of her. She always wanted to help people; even people who didn't seem the type to deserve it.

And, that day after school when she gave a soaking wet boy her umbrella, she thought nothing of it. She'd just been trying to help him out. Carol was the new girl. She wasn't expected to know who was good or bad, or who no to associate with.

Carol Clarke soon found that Daryl Dixon wasn't someone she was supposed to befriend. She didn't know why that was. After all, how could she?

After she went back to her new friend's car, her friend, Andrea, asked who the younger teen was. Carol replied, "A nice boy named Daryl Dixon."

Andrea was slightly taken aback. "_Dixon? _No no no, Carol. They're not a good family. Full of drunks and stoners."

"What? He seemed nice..." Carol frowned, remembering Daryl's smile. There was no way he could be a bad kid.

The blonde shook her head. "Nope, the whole family is messed up."

Carol looked down. "Oh." She didn't want to press into it further, but she had a strong feeling that Andrea was wrong about Daryl. "Either way, I do have to get my umbrella back tomorrow."

Andrea rolled her eyes and laughed, "You're unbelievable."

"Daryl seems like a nice kid... I don't see why you dislike him so much. Do you two even know each other?" Carol asked, laughing to herself as she looked out the car's window. As they drove away from the school, she could see Daryl's silhouette get smaller and smaller.

Andrea sighed, "No I don't know him but I sort of know his family. His older brother is a cree. Merle Dixon. That boy was in and out of juvie for years." Andrea shivered, "Just the sound of his voice makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up."

Carol nodded, "But _Daryl_ isn't _Merle_!"

"You're right about that. I don't _know_ Daryl, but I've been in this town long enough to know about his family." Andrea responded, resting her head against her seat.

Carol didn't answer to that. While it was true that Andrea knew more about the town, she wanted to believe that Daryl was different than what everyone said about he and his family. She wanted to _get to know _Daryl Dixon.

A short while later, and after she and Andrea had said their goodbyes, Carol was at her house - in her room. She'd always enjoyed being at home. Rarely was their chaos or trouble. It was peaceful. But, during the rare occasions when something was going wrong, she'd simply wait it out in safety of her bedroom.

Carol's father would often drink, and, when he did, he usually drank too much. Her father wasn't a kind, happy drunk. He often got mean; he'd yell and complain at everything, and he'd call his wife terrible names. Luckily, Carol's dad _never _laid a finger on her or her mother. Or at least, she didn't _think_ he had. She had no clue what kind of things went on when she wasn't around. Carol often wondered why her mother stayed with such a man. Was it because they had a kid together? Or perhaps it was because they were still in love.

After his episodes of anger, her father would try his best to make up for it by making dinner or cleaning up the house. Despite everything, her parents did care for one another.

But when it came down to the division of power in the family, her father came out on top. _Always_.

Carol signed and sat down at her desk. She didn't have much homework since it was only her first day, but nonetheless, she wanted something to occupy her mind. She wanted tomorrow to come. For some reason, she _wanted_ to see Daryl.

The next day, Carol went to all of her classes as normal. They were boring. Nobody really paid attention to her aside from Andrea and a boy whose name she didn't catch. Finally, when school ended, she got outside as fast as she could and took a seat on an old wooden bench next to the sidewalk.

Andrea wasn't going to be driving Carol home today. The blonde was going to try out for the cheerleading squad - something she had encouraged Carol to do as well. So, instead of hitching a ride, Carol would be taking the bus.

After only a few minutes of waiting, Carol spotted Daryl walking out of the school. He looked tired and was dressed simply: blue jeans, a green t-shirt and a vest. He was also carrying a black backpack over his shoulder. He noticed Carol and walked over to her and as he came closer into view, Carol noticed the dark bruise under his left eye.

"Hey," She said with a smile, choosing to ignore his black eye for the time being.

Daryl nodded as a response and looked down, "I-er, sorta forgot your umbrella.

She shrugged, "It's fine. I don't think it'll rain again any time soon." She took a closer look at his eye. "What happ-"

"It's a long story." Daryl replied, before she could finish her question. He looked her in the eyes, and Carol noticed just how blue they were. "You don't need worry."

Carol figured he didn't want to tell anyone about that. "Alright. So, how's school been treating you?"

He paused, " 's been good... I guess. Not much really going on, ya know? I haven't gotten much homework yet." He shrugged.

"Ah. Same here. I actually just moved here. Yesterday was my first day too." She grinned at him.

Daryl smirked, "Hah, really? What ya think of this town?"

She shrugged, "It's nice... A lot bigger than my old town, that's for sure. It's odd though, coming to a new town right in the middle of high school."

"Ah, well I've been here my whole life... Ain't never stepped a foot out of Georgia except maybe once when I was small. Don't remember though." He looked up at her. "So, do you have a ride to catch today or are ya gonna stay and chat?"

Carol frowned, "Yeah I'm taking the-" she looked around. "Never mind." The bus was gone. She didn't know how she had managed to miss it, but she had.

Daryl raised an eyebrow, "Huh?" He turned around, noticing the buses had left. "Oh... Sorry bout that. I spose it's my fault..." She watched as he nervously kicked a stone across the pavement.

"What? No! It's fine, really." She frowned, suddenly wondering to herself if she was bothering the other. Daryl didn't seem like the type to make small chat. "I guess I didn't realize how long we'd been standing here." She found that she didn't know what to say.

"Nah, it hasn't been long." He looked around, "Want me to walk ya home?" He offered, raising a brow.

Carol quickly shook her head. "You really don't need to do that." She didn't want to trouble him. And, in the slightest chance Andrea was right about Daryl Dixon, Carol could be putting herself at risk. She erased that though from her mind. _Andrea was wrong_.

"I ain't got nothing better to do." He huffed, "I don't really feel like going home so soon."

She smiled, "Well, only if you're sure."

Daryl hastily nodded. "Of course I am. I ain't gonna let you go by yourself when it's my fault you missed your bus." He started walking across the parking lot.

"Alright." She replied, nervously following him. "You don't have to walk me the entire way, you know. Half way is fine." Even though she was happy for his offer, she didn't want to trouble him.

He shook his head, his expression turning bitter. "Wow, you really don't want me to walk you home, huh?" He paused, "stop your worrying, would You? I'm just trying to return the damn favor."

"Favor?" Carol questioned, breathing out. She was a bit staggered by the way he snapped at her.

Calmly, he replied. "Yup. You helped me out yesterday - figured I could help you out today." He looked away from her, avoiding her eyes.

Carol couldn't help but allow a grin to spread across her face. "You're a real sweetie, you know that?"

Daryl let out a low growl. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing. You're nicer than you let people see." She answered simply, a smile plastered on her face.

He didn't say anything for a few seconds. "I think you're right about that."

And so, the two walked for a while, making simple small talk. She learned that he lived with a brother and father. No mother. Something inside her told said not to ask why there wasn't a mother. She had a feeling Daryl would not want to tell that tale. He on the other hand, learned that Carol was an only child with _both_ parents.

"Hey uh, I have a question." Daryl said, hesitantly looking up at Carol.

"What is it?" She replied, looking at his blue eyes. He averted her gaze and looked at the ground.

Daryl cleared his throat before speaking. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?" She replied, a bit confused.

He continued, "Being so nice. You let me borrow your umbrella without even knowing who I was. _Why_?"

She froze, lost in thought for a moment. "Because... I could." It probably wasn't the answer he was looking for, but Carol didn't know what else to tell him. The fact that he had to ask her why she was nice to him made Carol worried. It was as if he didn't _know_ kindness. "I wanted to. I don't really know."

"Okay... Sorry. You just got me thinking." He looked at her again. "So, how close are we to your place?"

Carol stretched out her left arm and pointed. "It's that light green one there."

He grunted in response and walked towards the house she had pointed at.

"Wait - here is good. If my dad sees you he'll think I've found myself a boyfriend already." Carol laughed lightly.

Daryl's cheeks flushed red for a moment. "Alright... See you around." He said before turning and walking in the direction of his side of town.

"Hey wait! Don't just walk away! I wanted to ask you something. "Do you want to eat lunch with me tomorrow?"

He quirks an eyebrow. "Lunch? Don't you have blondie to eat with? I wouldn't wanna impose."

"No, well yes, but I don't think I fit in with her group of friends too well. I'd rather eat lunch with someone alone." Andrea's crowd was jocks and preps. The popular type. Carol had never cared for that type, but Andrea was a nice girl so. "Is that okay? I mean, I wouldn't want to impose on _you_ either if you don't want to."

Daryl stopped to think about it for a moment before. "That sounds fine. Tomorrow it is."

* * *

**AN**: Basically, Carol is worried she's bothering Daryl since he's such a loner type. And even though he is unaware of it, Daryl is a total sweetheart. Keep in mind, they've only known each other for two days, so communication isn't exactly natural for them yet. They're so adorably awkward.

I think I know how I'll do things. Odd numbered chapters will revolve around Daryl, while even numbers will revolve around Carol. I'm going to do it this way so that the story is equally revolving around both of them. So in the next chapter, you'll see Daryl's reaction to all of this.

Just so you know, I wrote a lot of this on an iPad, so Autocorrect might have messed something up. If you see an error let me know so I can fix it. Thanks.

Hopefully this chapter was to your liking. Please review and tell me what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

**AN**: Thanks again for all the great reviews on the previous chapter. I'm so happy with the feedback I've been getting.

Here's another fluffy-ish chapter for you. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Honestly, Daryl had no idea what he's gotten himself into, or what he'd been thinking when he accepted Carol's invitation to spend lunch it an act of pity, that she'd asked this of him? Did she, upon noticing his bruised eye, want to help him out some more? He wasn't some charity case. Yet despite his desire to cancel their lunch plans, he resolved to leave it alone, thinking eating with someone would be a good idea for him.

Really, he should bring the umbrella back, but it seemed unlikely he would ever see the thing again. Daryl had flat out lied when he told her he'd forgotten it. He didn't lose it either. He knew exactly where it was - In Merle's bedroom. _That _was how he'd wound up with a black eye. When Daryl got home from school with a foreign umbrella, Merle had accused him of stealing it, causing Daryl to defend himself which naturally made merle angry. "_Who'd wanna lend you something, huh?_" So, Daryl would up with a black eye from Merle, and woke up with no umbrella at his bedside.

So now, Daryl was being forced to go back to Carol empty handed, with no umbrella. It definitely wasn't a good feeling. He felt like he was being a let down. Maybe, if Merle wasn't home he could sneak inside his room and retrieve it. _Maybe._

Daryl feared that would be too risky, contemplating Merle would notice before he got a chance to give it back to Carol. It would be safer just to forget about it and tell Carol that he lost it or broke it. For some reason, the truth seemed out of the question. Maybe, just _maybe, _Merle would come home in a good mood and Daryl could attempt to get the umbrella back. If that failed, he wouldn't want to try again and he wouldn't bring it up unless Carol asked about it.

When Daryl got back after walking carol home, he was pleased to see that neither Merle or their daddy were home yet. By the time his older brother _did _come home, Daryl had already found time to shower, make a snack and tidy up his pigsty of a room. Hopefully knowing that he didn't have to make Daryl any food would put Merle in a better mood. And, hopefully a better mood meant a better chance of getting the umbrella back. After what had happened last night, Daryl didn't know if he even wanted to try and get it back. He just didn't want to disappoint Carol. Really, it was beyond him why he cared so much about something so small.

He was in his room when he heard the front door open and close loudly. _Merle._

Daryl chose to let his brother come to him. He didn't want to bug the older Dixon. And as it turned out, it only took about five minutes for Merle to come to his little brother's bedroom. He took a seat on a stool by the foot of Daryl's bed.

"Hey baby brother, how was your second day?" Merle asked, leaning towards Daryl, who was sitting up in his bed.

"Fine," Daryl replied, recoiling a bit. His older brother reeked of musty cigarettes and cheap beer. Thankfully, Merle seemed to be in a decent mood. Maybe, and most likely, he was stoned. "Ca- That girl needs her umbrella back. She was asking for it today."

"Umbrella? Heh, what umbrella?" Merle's lips curled up into a snicker as he glared down at the younger. He looked _amused_.

Daryl gritted his teeth, "You know what I'm talking about!"

Merle shook his head, a small smirk still evident on his face.

"I didn't steal that umbrella! I'm borrowing it!" Daryl exclaimed, growing aggravated by Merle's smirk.

"Oh I know you didn't..."

"Then give it the hell back!" He yelled.

The older Dixon let a wide cocky grin explode onto his face. "Give _what _back?"

Daryl groaned loudly, "The damned umbrella!"

After a few minutes of pointless bickering, Daryl gave up. Merle was too busy making a fool of himself, and he probably wouldn't remember a word of the conversation later. He was forced to drop it. For now.

The next day, Daryl spent the classes leading up to lunch thinking about everything that could unfold during he and Carol's lunch together.

He actually felt excited. Daryl's only middle school friend, a boy named Mason, had moved away to a neighboring town over the summer following his parents divorce and was enrolled in a different high school. Speaking of Mason, he was _supposed _to be visiting soon.

Finally as lunchtime hit, Daryl walked out to the front of the school where he was certain he would find Carol. He stretched his arms above his head and waited.

"Hey Daryl!" Carol said from behind him, causing him to jump.

"Jesus Christ! Ya scared me!" Daryl nervously rubbed the back of his head.

Carol smiled at him, her blue eyes glistening. "Sorry about that... Where do you wanna go?"

He shrugged, "I thought you'd be the one deciding all that."

"Oh, hmmm... I guess I know a good place..." She smiled, "You've probably been there though, the playground behind the high school?"

Daryl huffed, "Yeah I've been there." He paused, remembering moments from his childhood. Merle used to take him to that park. They'd play hide and go seek until after the sun set.

Those were good times.

"My brother used to take me there sometimes when I was young."

Carol smiled, "The park it is then."

The walk took just under five minutes and was silent. Daryl didn't mind though. He'd rather be silent with Carol than be silent alone.

When they got there, Carol took a seat against the trunk of a large oak tree - the same tree Daryl remembered falling out of as a boy. He took a seat next to her and took a deep breath.

"Does this place bring back memories?" She asked him, leaning in slightly. "Of you and your brother?"

Daryl nodded slowly, "A lot." He looked at the swings and remembered being pushed back and forth by Merle's teenaged hands. _A lot _had changed since those days. "He used to take me here when our daddy came home drunk. Lots of good memories."

She smiled at his story, but then frowned. "Your... _daddy... _Is he the one who gave you _that?_" She pointed a skinny finger at his bruised eye.

Daryl gently dragged his fingers along the bruise. "Oh, no. That was Merle - My brother."

"Oh... I'm, er, sorry..." Carol frowned, obviously not knowing what to say.

He shrugged and shook his head. "Nah, it's a'right. You ain't gotta apologize for him. I doubt he even remembers giving this to me."

Carol stayed silent for a few seconds, "I..."

"You don't have to say anything. I prolly shouldn't have told you nothing anyway." He looked at her then back at the playground. "Besides, Merle isn't _all _bad."

She then changed the subject, "So, do you have anything for lunch?"

He huffed, "Do you think I live under a rock or something? Of course I have a lunch!"

"Sorry... I didn't mean it like that." She opened her purse and pulled out a brown paper bag. "What _do you have _for lunch?" She asked again.

Daryl did as she did, reaching into his backpack and pulling out a similar brown paper bag. "Just some junk I threw in here this morning." He noticed that carol's lunch bag was significantly larger than his, but he didn't mind since he packed his own lunch.

The two of them emptied the contents of their bags onto the grass.

"You know, you and I should go to the burger place sometime." Carol said, unwrapping a sandwich from a plastic bag.

"That sounds like a good time." Daryl agreed, eyeing his own self-packed lunch.

Carol grinned, "Next week then?" She took a small bite of her lunch.

"Sure, sounds great."

They ate, mostly in silence aside from a few short comments about school and what not. Daryl could tell just by looking at her face that she wanted to say something. He chose not to test her curiosity. If she wanted to know something, she could ask him herself. He didn't feel like willingly revealing everything about his private life to a girl he barely knew.

He did like Carol though. Part of him didn't mind her knowing things about him, but the other didn't want her to know too much.

"So," Carol began, setting down the small remainder of her lunch, which was mostly just crust now. "I... don't know what to say."

"That's alright." He decided it was his turn to be curious, "Uh, so what made you move out here?" He asked, wondering why anyone would chose to live in this dump of a town.

Carol responded with a frown, "It wasn't my choice. I would have stayed back if i could. My dad decided it was best for us to move here since he got a brand new job managing some auto shop."

"Oh, well, I'm real sorry about that... I don't know what it's like to be forced to start over."

"It's fine really. I just think its wrong for them to pull me out of my high school. I only had two more years to go! They made me leave all my friends who I've known since I was in the first grade! I feel so alone here... I have Andrea, but she and I are so different, you know?"

He nodded, understanding. "My Junior High split us up. Half of us went to another school and half went to this one. None of my friends made it here, and the only one who was gonna had to move over the summer. I don't feel like I have anyone either."

Carol smiled lightly, "I guess... I guess that you have me now. And I have you too... We're not as alone as we think we are."

Daryl said nothing in return, just allowed a huge bright smile to spread across his face.

* * *

**AN**: Okay, as of now, I have chapter four vaguely planned out and I want to plan chapters 5-10 soon. (If I don't plan, I'll forget everything I wanted to do) And planning ahead is always great for when I don't know what I want to write next.

As you may have guessed, I don't dislike Merle. I think he has a really good side that is overshadowed by drugs and anger.

_As always, reviews really make my day! Please tell me what you think and if you have any ideas or suggestions!_


End file.
